The UCSD men’s basketball team once again had its mettle tested last weekend in two key California Collegiate Athletic Association matches.

Both tilts were held at RIMAC Arena, vs. California State University Los Angeles on Friday night and CSU Dominguez Hills on Saturday evening. The Tritons, despite inspired play and some solid individual performances, were vanquished in both contests.

The CSU Los Angeles game was a back-and-forth affair early on, with the score a close 32-28 as the first half came to a close. CSU Los Angeles parlayed that four-point lead into 10 points, however, in the second half, to pick up the victory with a final score of 71-61.

The Eagles won by virtue of a balanced attack, with four players scoring in double figures. They were led by forward Ronald Johnson, who shot 7 for 14 from the floor en route to compiling a team-high 17 points.

His supporting cast included guard Quincy Stinson, who had 16 points, on 4-7 shooting, while going six of seven from the charity stripe and chalking up four assists.

Teammate Ricky Maiden also rang up 16 points, while Jonathan Levy had 15 of his own in the victory.

The Tritons were led by forward Cole Miller, who had a game-high 18 points and dished out five assists. Senior guard Nick Christenson was also a major contributor for UCSD, notching 15 points on six-for-eight shooting and pulling down four rebounds. Also chipping in with a double-figure tally was Erik Ramp, who had 11 points on the night.

Alas, it was not to be, as the Eagles’ four-pronged attack could not be contained and the victorious Cal State Los Angeles squad improved its record to 5-4 in CCAA play and evened up at 7-7 overall.

If Friday’s game was disheartening for the Triton players, the match held the following night vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills was probably more akin to having that vital organ ripped from their bodies and then repeatedly stomped upon.

In a horrifically close contest, the Tritons were nudged out 56-54.

The two teams were-neck-and neck throughout the match, with the score knotted at 25-25 when the whistle sounded signaling the end of the first half. Dominguez Hills, though, had the final two-point lead at the end, and the team took home the victory in front of a crowd of 790.

It was led by forward Reggie Williams, who had 23 points on nine of 16 shooting to go along with his nine rebounds. Guard Geoffrey Meeks also chipped in with 12 points for the Dominguez squad, who upped it’s record to 3-7 in conference play.

The Tritons, in defeat, were once again carried by Miller, who led all players with 27 points, including a whopping eight three-pointers.

He was not only on fire from downtown, but also under the boards, pulling down an impressive nine rebounds.

Sam Higgins also kicked in three three-pointers and seven rebounds for the Tritons. These individual efforts just weren’t enough, especially with the rest of the starting five combining for a mere seven points.

With the weekend’s two in-league losses, UCSD’s record fell to 1-9 in CCAA play and 2-13 overall. While their record may not reflect it, the Tritons are making progress on the hardwood.

With a more consistent team effort and a couple of bounces here and there, the Tritons would have picked up the victory versus Dominguez and been right in the thick of things at the end of Cal State Los Angeles match. Let’s hope their luck improves, as this Wednesday they head out to Arizona to do battle with Grand Canyon University.